TOKYO — Japan is moving ahead with plans to establish a centralized national intelligence structure this month, marking the most significant overhaul of its intelligence system in decades as the government seeks to improve coordination in response to increasingly complex security and cyber threats, according to government statements and recently enacted legislation.
The reforms center on upgrading the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office into a National Intelligence Bureau that will consolidate intelligence collected by key ministries and agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, National Police Agency and Public Security Intelligence Agency. The bureau is intended to serve as the secretariat for a newly established National Intelligence Council chaired by the prime minister.
The legislation creating the new intelligence framework passed the Diet in May after receiving support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and several opposition lawmakers, making the establishment of the new institutions the first phase of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's broader intelligence reform agenda.
The government has said the new structure is designed to strengthen Japan's ability to collect, integrate and analyze intelligence while improving coordination across ministries responsible for national security and foreign policy. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the reforms are intended to help prevent undue interference by foreign states amid what he described as an increasingly complex security environment.
Speaking after the legislation's enactment, Takaichi described the measure as a "first step" toward broader intelligence reforms, adding that the government also intends to consider additional legislation on counterespionage and the eventual establishment of a foreign intelligence agency.
Government officials and the ruling coalition have also discussed measures to strengthen intelligence collection capabilities, expand counterintelligence efforts and develop specialized training for intelligence personnel. The coalition agreement calls for establishing a foreign intelligence organization by the end of fiscal 2027.
Some opposition parties and civil liberties advocates have raised concerns that future intelligence and counterespionage legislation could expand government surveillance powers or affect privacy rights. Government officials have said any additional measures will be considered through the legislative process.
The government is expected to formally launch the National Intelligence Bureau during July, while policy discussions continue on follow-on reforms, including anti-espionage legislation and additional mechanisms to strengthen Japan's intelligence capabilities under parliamentary oversight.
